


Bouquets and First Dates

by magic_one



Series: The Experiences of Blossoms [2]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Happy Ending, Lando centric, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, its like just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 13:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22912405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magic_one/pseuds/magic_one
Summary: Lando owns a flower shop with Alex and George. After meeting Carlos, they go on their first date.
Relationships: Alexander Albon & Lando Norris & George Russell, Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr
Series: The Experiences of Blossoms [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1646821
Comments: 23
Kudos: 95





	Bouquets and First Dates

**Author's Note:**

> aH hello everyone!
> 
> To anyone who still cares/remembers about this little universe I am so sorry that the next instalment took so long to get out!! Some not so great personal stuff got in the way and writing got kinda put on the back burner until I could sort all of it out. But writing and finishing this AU really made me feel a lot better so I got it done as soon as I could :)
> 
> I would recommend reading the first part of this series first before this just so everything makes sense :D
> 
> Please don't share this fic outside AO3, and know that this is completely separate from and not supposed to speculate about the people in the fic!
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and any comments, kudos, or feedback are super super appreciated!!

“ALEX HELP!”

Lando’s voice rang throughout the apartment, stressed and panicked as he frantically looked between the many garments laid out on his bed. His mind was racing at a thousand meters per second, trying to make a decision that in all honesty, should be a very simple one. 

Alex ran into the bedroom, his socks sliding on the hardwood floor, and almost falling before he caught himself on the doorknob. “What happened? Are you okay?” 

_ Physically, yes,  _ Lando thought to himself. _ Mentally and emotionally, not at all. _

“I don’t know what to wear!” Lando practically screeched as Alex panted, leaning on the door for support once he realized that Lando was not, in fact, dying, while George walked in calmly behind him. 

“Jesus Lando, it’s a date, not a meeting with the Queen. You don’t need to almost kill poor Alex over a couple of shirts.” George said, sitting down on the bed. 

Lando immediately pushed George off and onto the floor and smoothed out the shirt that was sat on. “It’s not  _ just  _ a date you mug, it’s the first real date of my life. This is a big deal George, and because I am absolutely terrible at decision making, I have literally no clue what to wear! I live in an apron and soil stains for most of my day, I’m not a fashion expert. I mean neither is Alex but he manages to dress the best out of all three of us.” 

Alex walked over, taking a look at the options that Lando had set out. “I honestly don’t know whether to feel offended or take that as a compliment.”

“Well I definitely feel offended, I dress perfectly fine thank you very much,” George said, getting off of the floor. “I don’t see what you’re fussing over. Carlos has already decided he likes you enough to invite you out on a real date, a simple pair of trousers isn’t going to change that fact.”

Lando sighed, “I just don’t want to embarrass myself. He’s older than me, I don’t want him to think of me as a kid or like, immature.”

“Hey, we’re both older than you too and you have never once worried about us thinking that you’re immature,” George argued.

Lando laughed, “that’s because I’ve known you long enough to see you put coke in a water gun to try and shoot it into your mouth. You’ve lost all rights to think of me as immature when you’re just as bad yourself.”

George started to protest but quickly realized he couldn’t and just shrugged in defeat.

“You’re not going to embarrass yourself, Lando. You’re going to go out there and knock his goddamn socks off, now, try these on,” Alex said holding up two hangers. Lando took them with a grateful look on his face and walked into the bathroom. 

He came out in a white button-up shirt, covered with an orange and pink floral pattern and black jeans. Lando spun around, admiring himself in the nearby mirror, seemingly shocked that he actually managed to look presentable. An unlikely feat for sure. George clapped and looked at Alex, “nice job mate. I never would have thought that our little Lando could clean up that nice.” 

Alex smiled and walked over to fix Lando’s collar, “I can work magic sometimes, plus we have to stay on-brand with the flowers. Free subliminal marketing and all that.”

George chuckled, “I thought I was the business brain in this operation, you may be coming for my position.” He rustled through Lando’s closet and pulled out a simple long black coat, throwing it at its owner. “Put this on as well, it’ll complete the look.”

Lando caught the jacket, slipped his arms through the sleeves, and put on a pair of plain black sneakers. “Thanks guys, I really don’t know what I would do without you two.”

“Probably die,” George said and earned an elbow in the side from Alex. 

“Don’t listen to him, you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. Now go out and have a hell of a good time and call us if you need anything.” Alex said, giving Lando a hug. George quickly joined in, squeezing both of his best friends tight before letting go. “Don’t forget, if you need it, Alex and I will utterly destroy Carlos for you. I’m not joking.” 

Lando smirked, “you guys are acting so much like my mum and dad it’s almost funny. At this point, you might as well just make it official and get married already.” Alex and George both turned a quite impressive shade of red and looked down at the floor, both of them refusing to make eye contact with the other. But before either of them could sputter out a weak reply, Lando heard his phone go off and a text from Carlos came through.

“Oh  _ shit _ he’s here, I have to go. Have fun without me, but not too much fun!” He winked and ran out of the door. As Lando made his way to the lift he could hear the muffled protests of his friends from behind the door and laughed to himself. As soon as he sorted out his own love life, he’d help his hopeless friends sort out theirs.

He stepped out of his apartment building into the cool autumn air and felt the crunch of fallen leaves beneath his feet. It was a gorgeous evening, not yet dark, but the sun was slowly falling and turning the sky all different shades of pink, purple, and orange. It wasn’t freezing, but it wasn’t too warm either, enough that Lando was grateful that George threw him a coat. He fidgeted with the ends of his sleeves as he scanned the cars parked on the side of the street for the one that Carlos had described. He was definitely nervous, they had been texting and calling a lot since they met but this was going to be their first real date, not counting their first meeting. Lando was absolutely terrified for the whole situation, scared that Carlos would take one look at him and decide that he wasn’t worth his affection. But Lando shook his head and tried to listen to the inner Alex in his mind. He was gonna have an amazing time with a very attractive Spaniard and no amount of insecurities and doubts was going to change that, damn it. 

Lando finally spotted Carlos’s car and knocked on the window. He heard the door unlock and climbed in the passenger seat.

“Good evening Lando! Your dashing carriage has arrived to take you to a hopefully wonderful evening,” Carlos said, bowing as much as the seatbelt allowed him to.

“Thank you noble Carlos, I do look forward to tonight’s activities, although I am extremely curious as to what we are to be doing,” Lando said, playing along while struggling to buckle up his own seatbelt.

Carlos leaned over to help him, and as he went to take the belt from Lando their hands brushed against each other. A simple gesture and a simple sensation, yet Lando’s heart didn’t take it as such and therefore decided to try and beat out of his chest. 

He blushed like mad as Carlos started to drive and continued talking. “Well, we have kind of already done the going out for dinner idea, although I guess not quite on purpose. Nonetheless I wanted to do something special. I hope this isn’t too forward but I would like to take you back to my house for dinner, I have been told that my cooking can be quite good.” 

Lando’s palms started sweating almost immediately. He tried to tell himself that it was just a house, not something to freak out over. He was expecting an evening at a neutral territory, a casual restaurant or something that wasn’t too personal and a social situation where Lando knew how to behave. 

Carlos’s house was the  _ farthest  _ thing from neutral territory.

Lando didn’t know how to act during the first date at someone’s house, he barely even knew how to act during a date in general! All he knew was the advice he had gotten from Alex and George, and the many,  _ many _ websites he had scoured in the days leading up to this. The whole thing just seemed so intimate, and to Lando, the more intimate something was, the more chances he had to mess it up or embarrass himself in a way that would scare Carlos off. He really didn’t want to do that.

Carlos looked over, “Lando? Is everything okay? We don’t have to go back to my house if it makes you uncomfortable, we can just as easily go out to a restaurant if you would like!” 

Lando quickly realized he hadn’t said anything yet, still too caught up in his own nerves. “Oh sorry, just sorta zoned out there! Going to your house sounds great Carlos, and I’m sure your cooking is very good.” Lando didn’t want to disrupt Carlos’s plans, he probably had some food already prepped and the last thing Lando wanted to do was make more trouble for his date. So he’d go to Carlo’s house, and try his damnedest not to make a fool of himself. 

They drove in comfortable silence for a little while more, Carlos making polite conversation here and there and Lando trying not to throw up in Carlos’s car from nerves. He was succeeding so far and was quite proud of himself for it. He managed to hold it together for the whole ride and was just starting to calm down when Carlos pulled into the driveway of a very nice house. Not quite huge, but a house that made it obvious that its owner wasn’t struggling. A far cry from the apartment Lando shared with Alex and George. Lando entered the home and felt even more out of place. The house was impeccably decorated with family pictures lining the walls showing off the Sainz family, who were all equally as beautiful as Carlos. It was tidy and neat, yet still felt lived in, almost like you could feel the happy times and laughter that had occurred within the walls. It was perfect, Carlos was perfect.

Lando wasn’t.

“So, welcome to my home! I’ll take your coat, I am a true gentleman after all,” Carlos said, helping Lando shrug off his jacket as his hands brushed across Lando’s shoulders. Lando’s heart once again decided to take a moment to try and make its grand escape from his chest, and he was honestly surprised that Carlos couldn’t hear the violent beating. “I have most of everything prepared but it will be a few minutes to complete the dish, I hope that is okay.”

Lando took off his shoes and tried to act as casual as possible. “Oh yeah, of course, watching people cook is really fun too! I’m an avid Bake Off watcher and while I doubt you’re just gonna pull out a 3 tiered cake or something, it’s close enough.” 

_ Oh yeah, super casual. Not awkward at all. Pull out the Bake Off knowledge, that’s sure to impress.  _ Lando thought to himself, sarcasm evident even within his own head.

Luckily Carlos laughed and Lando almost breathed a sigh of relief, “I am sorry to disappoint you but I am not a baker, so no cakes. But, I can promise you something just as good if not better.” 

Lando walked further into the house, trailing behind Carlos as the scent of indistinguishable spices and for some reason, very familiar flowers reached him. He came to see that the whole kitchen and dining room were fully decked out with very fancy table settings, fairy lights lining the walls of the room, and many candles that Carlos was in the process of lighting creating a very romantic atmosphere. Rose petals were scattered about on the table, and paper flowers were placed elegantly around a beautiful bouquet centrepiece, one that Lando almost considered a rival to his own creations. It was utterly extra in every way, and Lando loved it.

“You did all of this, for me?” Lando asked, looking at Carlos with wide eyes. 

“I did say I wanted to do something special did I not? Plus I wanted to, I guess, make up for my previous flower arranging attempt. Maybe it is better this time?” Carlos said, a tinge of a blush on his cheeks that he was obviously trying to hide. And damn if it wasn’t the cutest thing Lando had ever seen. 

He went over to admire the vase full of flowers, noting the overwhelming presence of Calla Lilies. A flower symbolizing magnificence and beauty, a compliment that Lando did not think himself worthy of receiving from a person such as Carlos but was overjoyed nonetheless. “Well I love it, all of it. If your decorating skills are this good I can’t wait to see your cooking. Is there anything you can’t do?” Lando said, unable to stop a grin from coming onto his face. 

“I assure you, you do not want to see me try to do maths, ask me how to multiply and my brain leaves my body,” Carlos laughed. “Now, sit down, your dinner will be served very soon!”

Carlos then set about grabbing many ingredients that were obviously prepared beforehand, and started making a dish that was woefully unfamiliar to Lando. To be fair, most dishes were unfamiliar to Lando, whose extent of cooking knowledge was instant noodles, toast, and whatever Alex put in front of him to remind him to eat. Carlos moved around the kitchen like Lando moved around his shop, effortless and efficient, with utter confidence like he already knew he was going to succeed in whatever he set out to do.

_ It was really hot. _

Lando couldn’t really get himself to do much other than gaze in awe and admiration, and if Carlos noticed he thankfully didn’t say anything as the other man was pretty quiet during the whole process, only humming quietly to himself from time to time. Once again, Lando found himself asking what he did to get this lucky in life. 

Soon enough, a serving dish was placed in front of Lando with a vibrant combination of shrimp, rice, and mussels that looked better than anything Lando had ever been served. It might have been because it was accompanied by a very attractive Carlos who had a bit of sweat beading on his forehead from standing over a hot pan, but Lando decided to ignore that fact and instead appreciate the food. “Carlos! What the hell, this looks amazing, where’d you learn to cook like this and where can I get the same lessons?” 

Carlos had a fond look in his eyes as he spoke. “This is all thanks to my mother, she insisted that I knew how to make paella when I was a child. Said it was a guaranteed way to impress someone I like, claiming Spanish food is the best and all of that.”

“So you like me huh? How cute,” Lando teased. 

Carlos sat down across from him, scooping some of the paella onto his plate and gesturing for Lando to do the same. “Surprised it took you that long to figure out, I don’t just go out and buy actual candles for just anyone.” Carlos reached across the table to tap Lando on the forehead, “a bit slow up there eh?” 

Lando swatted the hand away and chuckled, “oh shut up, go eat your date impressing paella that you’ve probably made a million times for a million different people.”

Carlos looked at him with a soft smile and suddenly intense eyes, “no, just you.”

Now Lando didn’t have time to unpack the implications of  _ that _ statement.

His whole face went red, his knees felt weak and even though he was sitting down, Lando still felt like he was going to collapse at any moment. “W-well then I feel very special then,” Lando said, and to have an excuse to stop talking, shoved a bite of paella into his mouth. 

_ Holy shit. _

It was  _ really good _ .

“You like?” Carlos said with a hint of amusement. Lando’s eyes were huge, and he nodded vigorously. Carlos laughed and took a bite from his own plate. “I’m glad, hopefully my mother’s recipe thoroughly impressed.” 

They talked for a while more over dinner, reminiscent of their first meeting and Lando confirmed that yeah, he really really liked Carlos. Their senses of humour matched perfectly, and Lando could bounce jokes off of him and tease him in a way that before, he was only able to do with Alex and George. Carlos told him more about the track he owned with his dad, and how fond he was about some of the kids that came there to practice karting. Lando explained to Carlos more about floristry and the art of flower arranging and even messed with the centrepiece arrangement to show Carlos how he would have done it. All of the fear and anxiety that followed him around constantly in his everyday life just melted away whenever he was with Carlos, it was like his brain had also fallen for the other man, and was too infatuated to worry. If Lando could figure out a way to bottle how he felt around Carlos and sell it, he would, he’d be a millionaire instantly. 

After they were both done eating, Carlos was talking about the intricacies of karting (that Lando only half-understood,) in the accent that was quickly becoming one of Lando’s favourite sounds in the world. Seriously, the other man could read a dictionary and Lando would listen to the entire thing without stopping. The candles softly lit Carlos’s face, making his flawless skin even more flawless, which Lando couldn’t believe. He also couldn’t believe how perfect Carlos’s hair was, now getting the chance to really study the Spaniard. Lando had a mental image of Carlos fretting about his hair while standing in front of the mirror, and the numerous products he must have had gone through to get that little poof to stand up straight. He smiled to himself a bit, amazed that he could have this good of a time with just another person and some extremely good Spanish food. 

Carlos suddenly jumped up from the table, his eyes full of excitement. “Okay Lando, next on this very special date I need you to get your coat and shoes on, I have something to show you.”

Lando obliged, and followed Carlos out the door. Carlos reached out and took Lando’s hand rather unceremoniously for a situation that Lando considered a big deal. But Lando didn’t really have time to process the large progression in their relationship for very long as Carlos started running, pulling Lando along with him. 

“Keep up slowpoke!” Carlos almost yelled, grinning like a mad man. Lando was struggling to follow, and while he usually wasn’t a fan of any kind of physical exercise, something about Carlos’s radiant smile and excited energy made Lando want to follow him to the ends of the Earth. He felt like a child again, running through the streets without a care in the world, the darkness not the least bit threatening when he had Carlos with him. 

The street lights lining the sidewalk became few and far between as Carlos eventually dragged Lando into what looked like a park, or some sort of flower garden. It was almost pitch black, save for the light of the moon casting a spotlight of sorts onto Carlos, the man in question beconking Lando further into wherever the hell they were. 

“Carlos, if you meant to show me a flower garden, the sight might have been more effective if it was light out, just letting you know,” Lando laughed awkwardly, not getting what was so special about this dark plaza, way too far from any notable civilization for Lando’s liking. 

Carlos shook his head, “no no, look up Lando.”

And that’s when he saw it.

Beautiful spots of light dotting the black sky, creating pictures that Lando somewhat recognized from school projects he had to do. Constellations he never got to see given the artificial light in the city blocked out any natural light trying to poke through. It was a dazzling sight, picturesque, and one that Lando had no idea even  _ existed _ near him. 

He turned to Carlos, jaw almost on the floor, and gestured at the night sky. “How the hell did you find this place? This doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you just kinda stumble across.”

Lando swore he saw a blush come across Carlo’s cheeks. “My sister had an astrology phase, she searched everywhere for a place where you could see the stars clearly. I always tagged along to watch out for her.”

Carlos walked behind Lando, and guided his arm to point at a collection of stars, so close that Lando could feel Carlos’s breath on his own neck. “Up there is Aquarius and Capricornus beside it. Pretty, no?”

“Y-yeah, really pretty,” Lando managed to get out as Carlos moved to stand in front of him, giving Lando a chance to try his damn best to not collapse at the spontaneous closeness. 

“Dance with me Lando,” Carlos said, his eyes bright and pleading, and his grin wide and brilliant. He held out his hand, asking Lando to join him and once again the moon decided to enhance the dramatics of Carlos’s antics, painting him in a white light that made Lando think of a movie, or a play in which Carlos was the main character.

What would that make Lando? The love interest? Was he that important to Carlos’s story?

“What? H-here? We’re just in an empty park, plus there’s no music, and  _ also  _ I can’t dance, like at all.” Lando protested, wrapping his arms around himself and feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden. He got so caught up in all of the fantastical wonders of being with Carlos, that he forgot who he was. Lando Norris, self-proclaimed loser, and proven fuck up. A person far less interesting than his friends and business partners, someone destined to remain a side character and not an integral part of anyone’s plot. It was unfair, completely unfair that whenever he was on the brink of having a good time his brain couldn’t let that happen, and instead brought back everything he feared and hated about himself. 

But then Carlos started humming.

It was a classical piece, or maybe a waltz or something, Lando had no idea. It wasn’t the best thing Lando had ever heard, he couldn’t lie but Carlos kept humming the melody while gesturing for Lando to come join him. “I can’t speak for your dancing abilities but I can provide the music. Come on, join me Lando!”

And something about the perfect way Carlos was framed, and the utter absurdity of the moment, certainly not where Lando had thought he would end up when he agreed to go on a date with Carlos, made him incapable of saying no. 

He stepped forward into the light of the moon, taking Carlos’s hand and Carlos wasted no time wrapping his hand around Lando’s waist, and guiding Lando in small circles around the park. It wasn’t the most graceful sight but to Lando it was perfect. He stepped on Carlos’s feet a couple of times but Carlos never stopped humming, even when Lando started to apologize profusely. He just kept looking at Lando with adoration in his eyes, utterly personal, and completely terrifying yet Lando wasn’t scared. Not with Carlos. He was actually having fun, laughing when Carlos almost tripped over a nearby bench, and even taking the lead sometimes, twirling his partner around with no nuance or skill but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they were there together, completely blissful. 

Lando didn’t even realize until it happened that Carlos was leading him into a dip. Lando felt himself falling back but then realized Carlos’s strong arms were guiding him lower. He also realized that Carlos’s face was incredibly close to his own, so much that Lando could make out the exact curves of Carlos’s jaw, and the flecks of different shades of brown in his eyes even though it was so dark outside, and the individual hairs of his eyebrows and oh god they were so close together and this was so personal and so fast and Lando was panicking-

“Can I kiss you?”

And suddenly the two of them were the only people in the universe.

Lando’s brain went still at the sound of Carlos’s voice, a whisper, like Carlos was afraid that if he talked too loud he’d ruin the atmosphere they had created, that the tension would break. Lando never really believed in the cheesy romantic movies that Alex loved for some reason, thinking that they were unrealistic, that the kind of flawless scenes that you see could never happen in real life. But he stood corrected. This moment, with Carlos holding him was the cheesiest, most romantic, and most Hollywood worthy thing to ever happen to Lando. 

It was perfect.

He locked eyes with Carlos, refusing to look away like he had so often done before. “You know, I never really thought I could be as comfortable with another human being as I was with my flowers. Flowers are simple, beautiful, and elegant. My mind goes quiet when I’m with them. But I was so wrong, I feel that same way when I’m with you,” Lando whispered, a way of speaking almost closer to breathing out the words rather than saying them. He was vulnerable in a way he usually wasn’t quite fond of but it seemed alright with Carlos, it seemed okay. Safe. 

“Is that a yes then?” Carlos said without a hint of teasing in his voice, only genuine hope and anticipation.

“Take a wild guess,” Lando said and leaned up, feeling more certain of his actions than anything he’d ever done in his life.

Their lips met and it was  _ magic. _

Carlos pulled him closer and Lando threaded his fingers through Carlos’s hair trying desperately to get closer to the other man in any way that he could. He didn’t want to let go, couldn’t let go because if he did it would mean completely losing control. His legs would quiver and he would melt into a puddle of pure satisfaction. Carlos was the only thing holding him up, keeping him from collapsing.

As a kid, Lando had never really got the allure of love. He was happy with his friends and his art, it was really all that he needed. But as he grew older, that changed. Love was all around him and Lando longed to have someone for himself, but he was too late, too much, too weird, too unlovable. He had a desperate need for someone to understand him when he couldn’t understand himself. When his own brain made him believe he was worthless, Lando needed someone to see his worth. After a while, Lando believed he would never find that person, that maybe it wasn’t his destiny to have someone to love. Maybe he really was unlovable, fated to be lonely forever. 

But when he and Carlos eventually seperated, somewhere deep in his heart Lando knew that he had found the love he had always dreamed of. 

***

After a short walk back to Carlos’s house full of massive grins, giddy laughs, and joined hands swinging back and forth, Lando had to get back home. The nervous feeling that dominated his mind on the way there, was nowhere to be found on the ride back. He was comfortable, making stupid jokes with Carlos while the other man rested his hand on Lando’s thigh, causing a jolt of energy that ran through Lando’s whole body. 

Once they got back, Carlos walked Lando to the door of his apartment building and lingered, rocking back and forth on his feet, reluctant to leave. 

“I guess this is where we say goodbye. I’m sad though, I don’t want this night to end” 

Lando, also not wanting the night to end, not ready to say goodbye to Carlos and the wonderful feelings he brought with him reached up and pecked Carlos quickly on the cheek, “adios Carlos.”

Before they could separate, Carlos held Lando close and pressed a short but intense kiss to his lips, and Lando could feel the Spaniard smile into the kiss. “Maybe I could teach you some more Spanish the next time I see you,” Carlos whispered after they broke apart.

“I’ll hold you to that, the next time I mean,” Lando said and after giving Carlos’s hand one last squeeze, walked into his building, ready to collapse on his bed after the most eventful night he had had in awhile. 

Except when you live with Alex and George, there was no way to avoid their curious nature. 

As soon as Lando turned the key to the door he was practically tackled and dragged into his own home with questions being hurled at him, ranging from Alex asking if he had kissed Carlos to George asking if he needed to get some bail money ready for the crime of murdering Carlos. 

“Oi! Calm down and give a guy some space!” Lando shouted, pushing both his friends away. 

“Sorry mate but we’re your best friends, we’re obligated to question you about a date! How’d it go?” Alex asked, gesturing for Lando to sit down and grabbing George’s wrist to stop him from turning Lando inside out searching for any bruises or signs of injury.

“Yeah, and I’m still waiting on the answer about the bail money. Cause like, I know a guy,” George said with a surprising amount of seriousness, and Lando was suddenly very concerned about what his friend got up to in his free time. 

“No need for anyone to go to jail right now, it actually went really well,” and with a smile on his face that grew with every word of his story, Lando told his friends what had happened that night. Lando couldn’t see it as he was too engrossed in the memories of what had just transpired, but if he looked at his friends he would’ve seen the proud looks they gave each other. Because he was a bit younger, they both saw Lando as somewhat of a little brother and seeing him this excited about someone else made them think that yeah, he would be alright. The days of insecurities and anxiety about being unlikable and worthless wouldn’t disappear, but Lando would be fine, it would be okay. 

Alex poked Lando in the side once he finished talking. “So, have you planned another date? Decided on a next step?” 

“More like when are you gonna bring him home as your boyfriend and when do I have to have  _ the talk _ with him?” George said and crossed his arms, puffing out his chest and trying to appear more intimidating. He didn’t succeed. 

Lando laughed, poking Alex right back and sending him into a giggling fit. “I am never letting Carlos meet you two. He’ll spend two minutes here and go running out the door and honestly I might follow him.” 

But, Lando stood up and clapped his hands together, a glint of a plan in his eyes. “Speaking of next steps though, do you guys mind letting me close by myself in a week?”

***

A week later, Lando sent a text to Carlos telling him to meet him at the shop an hour after it closed. What Carlos didn’t know though, is that in that hour Lando had rearranged the store so there was a path of display tables lined with a rainbow of flowers, from red roses at the beginning to purple pansies at the end. Some fake candles (there was no way he was going to bring a live flame into a flower shop) were also separating the bunches of different coloured blossoms. The path led to an incredibly nervous Lando, pacing back and forth as he waited for the other man to arrive. He was holding a relatively small bouquet that he made behind his back, an effort that had accumulated into (in his own opinion) one of his best works of art. Even though it wasn’t large, it was still impactful with a large white hyacinth acting as the main centrepiece with peonies, pink asters, and various sprigs of grasses surrounding it. The whole bouquet was light and soft in colour, as Lando wanted to express his vulnerability and willingness to open up to Carlos, especially in this instant.

It was gonna be fine, Alex and George had given him a pep talk today and were fully supportive of this whole idea when he had told it to them. They were adamant that Carlos wouldn’t reject him.

He wouldn’t, Carlos liked Lando.

Right?

The bells above the door chimed and Lando froze where he was. He stood up straight, probably too straight to look normal and gripped the bouquet behind his back as tight as he dared in fear of snapping the stems. 

He could vaguely hear Carlos’s amazed gasps as he saw and walked through the myriad of flora that Lando had set out and arranged meticulously. He heard footsteps get louder and louder and closer and closer until-

“Lando? What is all of this? Is this all for me?” 

Lando nodded vigorously and basically shoved the bouquet in Carlos’s direction, motioning for him to take it. “Yeah, I uh, never paid you back for the flowers you gave me with your number attached to them. Wanted to do something for you this time especially cause I’m the florist and all that. There’s the Hyacinth in the middle meaning loveliness, pink asters meaning love and charm, and the peonies meaning-”

“-romance and bashfulness,” Carlos finished and took the bouquet from Lando. When he saw the pleasantly surprised look on Lando’s face he explained with a blush spreading over his cheeks, “I started researching flower language after I met you. Wanted to learn more about the things you like.”

If Lando wasn’t absolutely head over heels for Carlos he sure was now. 

“But in your text, you said you had something to talk about it. Is everything okay?” Carlos asked.

His theory that Carlos was looking into flower meanings for him now confirmed, Lando’s confidence in what he was about to do grew. He let go of the tension across his whole body and stepped towards Carlos. 

“Okay, so to start, I really like you. Like really really like you. You make me feel safe and respected and so many other very good words that I don’t have time to list or we’d be here forever. This sounds so cheesy but you kiss me and even the butterflies in my stomach feel the magic. And I’ve realized that I don’t want to let that feeling, or more importantly you, go. So even though we’ve met up some more after our date and we’ve texted and face timed a lot this might be extremely fast and I definitely get that and if you don’t want to move this quickly or even move forward at all I totally understand and, um just…” Lando trailed off, struggling to find the words, his mind was working on overdrive and it was making him ramble, his palms sweat and oh god he was a disaster, a mess, he couldn’t do this, he was gonna break down and he would have ruined everything-

Then Carlos grabbed his hand.

He subtly gestured for Lando to keep going, and even having the feeling of Carlos’s touch was enough for his brain to snap back to reality. Lando took a deep breath and focused on the sensation of Carlos’s thumb rubbing small circles on the back of his hand. 

“Um, well, I guess what I’m asking is,” Lando looked down at the floor, “would you be my boyfriend?”

Carlos gently set down the bouquet, and with an insanely large grin, he picked Lando up and spun him around until they both got dizzy. Trying not to fall over, he set Lando down and immediately began peppering his face with kisses as Lando laughed at Carlos’s enthusiasm. 

In between kisses, Lando could make out Carlos saying “yes, very much yes I would love to be your boyfriend.”

And with a new boyfriend that made him feel levels of comfort and happiness that Lando had never felt before kissing him senseless, surrounded by the flowers that were his passion, and with his two best friends somewhere close by, that he knew were watching with grins that stretched from ear to ear even though Lando to them to go home, he felt content. 

Lando thought back to his younger self, the one who dreamed of a happy life in big mansions and 50 servants ready to satisfy his every whim. Who thought ‘making it’ consisted of going into law and making a name for yourself. His dreams might have changed, but for the first time Lando knew that even without mansions, servants, and the lack of a law degree, if he came across his younger self he would most certainly be able to tell him,

Yeah, we made it.

**Author's Note:**

> Next up is the Alex/George fic which hopefully won't take as long as this one!! 
> 
> Hope you liked it, and again any kudos, comments, or feedback, or even suggestions for this universe if you have them are always welcome and appreciated :D


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